Item: ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
Rating: 10
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Manage Engine ServiceDesk Plus as our primary ticketing system. This has helped address multiple issues we had in IT, but the same issues can be addressed for other teams as well. The product allows us to keep track of all IT issues, requests and change requests, as well as building a knowledge base and allow the users to self-service (where possible). This has reduced the overhead on IT significantly. Not to mention, the great reporting experience we receive from exporting our MESDP to ManageEngine's free reporting tool - Zoho Analytics.

Pros and Cons

Log and track requests from users.
Automated escalations if SLA's are broken.
Keeping history of all requests and allowing IT management to report on that.
Automating IT responses to tickets and automatic assignments.

The set up can be a bit confusing, but it is not bad.
For a long time, there was an issue where you open multiple tabs they would be dead slow, but this has been addressed since the latest update.
Email collection system crashes sometimes (very rare).

Return on Investment

MESDP has allowed IT to remain productive, even under the very high-pressure levels in the retail industry.
MESDP allows us to track tickets, follow up with users and third parties.
MESDP's scheduling abilities are great and allow the IT support staff to keep track of what needs to be actioned
Flags clearly show when SLAs have been violated and is easy for IT management to act and ensure fast responses to user queries and issues.

Alternatives Considered

Zendesk and Jira Service Desk

Zendesk is a great system, however, for our needs, it is way too powerful and for the price, we would have not used even half the available functionality. Jira was another alternative we looked at, however, it is more suited towards developers and not generic IT helpdesk, so once the evaluation of the 3 products was finished, we have decided to go with MESDP.

Support Rating

I have a few issues with MESDP and even though we use the free version, the support staff was very quick to respond and extremely competent and helpful. Luckily, I have only had to use them a couple of times over the 2.5 years I have been using their product, but they strike me as very competent, friendly and helpful, regardless of the version of their product you use.

Key Insights

Do you think ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus's feature set?

Yes

Did ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Zoho Analytics (formerly Zoho Reports), Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server

Likelihood to Recommend

We use the free version, it allows up to 10 technicians to be added to the system, but that has never been an issue, as we are a small team. The functionality and usability of MESDP are great and can work with larger teams too. It is well suited to be used as a main Ticketing system, and this is not limited to IT only, I am sure other teams that need to keep track and log issues will be able to utilize MESDP without any issues. There is a self-service portal as an option, however, we do not use it as of yet, as there has not been the need for it.
If you would need to use the same instance within multiple departments, this may be a bit tricky to achieve, as there is no easy way to limit visibility to tickets from other departments, however, I am sure there is a way around it.

ManageEngine strikes again - another great and free product for your service desk!

Overall Satisfaction with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus